High Risk, High Reward
by Mitis Aquae
Summary: When you grow up as a warrior, life is going to be tough. But when three young cats take risks no cat has ever dreamed of, who knows what type of reward they'll get in return?
1. Allegiances

**AN: Welcome to High Risk, High Reward! My name is Mitis Aquae, and I'll be your author today. Feel free to like, follow, or fav!**

Allegiances:

PineClan:

Leader: Snowstar- Wiry long-haired white tom with light brown ears, muzzle, tail, legs, and blue eyes

Deputy:

Robinheart- Huge brown tabby tom with a thick pelt and green eyes

Medicine Cat:

Tanglepelt- Light gray tom with a curly, tangled pelt and yellow eyes

Warriors:

Foxfang- Ginger tom with an unusually bushy tail and yellow eyes

Nightbreeze- Wiry black tom with blue eyes

Sparrowsong- Dark brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Stormclaw- Large dark gray tom with amber eyes

Apprentices:

Swiftpaw- Lithe golden brown tabby tom with green eyes

Ashpaw- Gray tabby tom with green eyes

Queens: Sunflight- Large, lithe tawny she-cat with brown spots and yellow eyes

Fawnstep- Small, light brown she-cat with a white underside and green eyes

Elders: Rainthorn- Skinny gray she-cat with green eyes

 **AN: I'm not going to list the other two clans, TideClan and FieldClan, because who cares about them? XD**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Wake up, you lazy rump!", exclaimed Rowankit, prodding her sister, Volekit, in the side.

"Hey, watch it, you stinky excuse for a kit!" Volekit squeaked back. This resulted in a tussle, which ended when they rolled right into their mother, Sunflight. She fixed them with a stern, green-eyed glare, and muttered sleepily,

"If you can't play quietly, play outside." She then tucked her head back in by her chest and closed her eyes. The kits guiltily crept outside the nursery. It probably wasn't the kits' whole fault, however, as they were the biggest kits in the nursery, despite being half a moon younger than the other litter. In contrast to Rowankit, Volekit, and their sister Shimmerkit, Fawnstep's litter were quite small. _Berrykit is just so annoying, and Cedarkit… well, it's not like she can play any of the good games, with her leg._ One of Cedarkit's hind legs had been so mangled at birth that Tanglepelt had had no choice but to bite it off, grisly as it sounded. Her other hind leg was twisted inwards at an unnatural angle. Sunflight had explained to Rowankit that it was because of Fawnstep's incredibly hard kitting, and they must never, _never,_ tease Cedarkit about it. She wasn't even fun to _talk_ with, she was so grumpy.

"Whatcha doing, talking to StarClan? _Rowankit, you must give us all your mice…_ " Mewed Volekit, interrupting her thoughts, and ending in what she must have thought was a spooky tone of voice. Rowankit responded by laughing so hard her sides hurt.

"Hey!" Protested Volekit, jumping onto Rowankit and starting another tussle. When they were done, Rowankit asked,

"Do you want to go exploring with me? If we do, when we're apprentices, we'll know the territory better than anyone!"

"But what if they delay keep us from becoming apprentices if we're caught?" Volekit interjected worriedly.

"Don't be silly, they need apprentices! With Swiftpaw and Ashpaw so close to becoming warriors, they won't have any apprentices left soon!" Rowankit retorted.

"But they'll _have_ two apprentices in a day or two, with Fawnstep's litter so close to being six moons, _and_ they'll still have Shimmerkit." Volekit reasoned.

"Hmph." Muttered Rowankit, choosing not to mention that it was doubtful Cedarkit would even become an apprentice. Her thoughts chose not to admit to themselves that Volekit had bested her in a battle of wit once again. Volekit yawned.

"You should go back to bed. I guess it's a little early." Rowankit mewed persuasively. Volekit narrowed her eyes at Rowankit, but apparently her need for sleep bypassed her suspicions. She shrugged and padded back to the nursery, Rowankit at her tail. Rowankit waited a few minutes to make sure Volekit was asleep, then cautiously stepped back out of the nursery. The sky lightened to a pale blue-gray, promising dawn soon. She would need to leave soon, before the warriors woke up for the dawn patrol.

She slipped behind the huge old cedar, whose roots sheltered the nursery, and headed uphill for the tunnel through the thick brambles that led to dirtplace. After that, she would be in unfamiliar territory.

 _So cool!_ She thought with glee. _I'll finally be able to see the territory!_ As she padded through the forest, she couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. Pines draping huge swathes of moss emanated fragrant, woody smells into the fresh, cool air. Ferns sparkling with the morning dew arched over her head. A stream chattered nearby.

What also struck her was how full of _life_ the forest was, even though it was so close to leaf-fall. A solitary bird sang of the approaching dawn, the ferns behind her rustled, and she saw a squirrel dart through a tree.

As she continued through the forest, she noticed that the bubble of water grew louder, until she rounded a fir, walked onto a patch of clover, and saw the stream. The water curved gracefully around the many rocks, and thankfully, the greenleaf heat had made it shallow, so it would be easy to cross, even for a kit like her. Even so, as she neared the middle, the water brushed against her soft belly fur. She jumped up the opposite bank and shook herself, sending droplets of water flying everywhere, sparkling in the new morning light.

She continued to walk through the now wide-awake forest. She soon stumbled upon a clearing, devoid of trees or undergrowth, that was lined almost completely with soft moss. Judging from the strong smell, cats must have come there regularly. The realization struck Rowankit like a bolt of lightning. _This must be the training clearing! Well, I'm almost six moons, so why can't I use it too?_ She jumped and swiped at the air, attempting to strike a branch hanging low over the clearing, but soon giving up, and practicing instead what she thought must be a hunter's crouch, wiggling her haunches and preparing to spring.

With a jolt, she heard pawsteps drawing near. She bolted into one of the clumps of ferns surrounding the clearing, and crouched there, quivering. Soon, she saw Swiftpaw and his mentor, Dawnshine, enter the clearing. Dawnshine paused to taste the air, glanced at Rowankit's hiding spot, and said amusedly,

"You can come out now, Rowankit." Embarrassedly, Rowankit crept out of the ferns and looked up at Dawnshine and her apprentice. Swiftpaw's hazel eyes sparkled with humor, he looked like he was suppressing a laugh. Rowankit gave him her best glare and pointedly turned to his mentor. Dawnshine sighed.

"Your mother will probably give you a better scolding then I can, but still, you were very irresponsible to let your mother worry while you traipsed off through the forest on your own. Swiftpaw, please escort her back to camp, but run right back. We still need to polish your fighting skills a bit before your Final Assessment."

"C'mon, kit. Let's go." Meowed Swiftpaw amusedly, nudging Rowankit before turning and signaling with his tail to follow. She sighed and padded after him.


End file.
